Can Salivary Gland Cancer Be Prevented?

Because we don’t know what causes most salivary gland cancers, we don’t yet know how to prevent many of them.

Avoiding some of the possible risk factors (such as tobacco, excess alcohol use, and unhealthy diets) might slightly lower the likelihood of developing salivary gland cancer, but no one knows for sure. However, we do know that avoiding these factors can help reduce your risk of other, more common cancers, as well as many other diseases.

For people who work in certain industries linked with an increased risk of salivary gland cancer, taking precautions to protect themselves might help lower their risk.